Category Archives: Movie Review

1827 or: How I’ve Still Gotten Myself Into This

01 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in Beer, Blogging, Food, Life as We Know It, Movie Review, Music Review, Podcasting, Rant

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Salutations™!!

Deep sigh…

That’s what I just let out when I realized that today is the 1,827th blog post I’ve written since November 1, 2014. Perhaps more because I think there was at least one day, perhaps two, that I wrote more than one for a day.

On November 1, 2014, Kristen Daukas and Nick Badgio and I agreed to write a blog post every day for 30 days. All of November. I liked it and kept on doing it. I figured I’d go to the end of the year. I went a bit further than the end of that year. I’m going to repost the first post of the NaBloPoMo posts that happened on 1 November that year.

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©wiseGEEK

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So we know that I’m a bit erratic or even sporadic when it comes to writing these blog posts.  Some of you may think that it’s good that you don’t hear from my blabbing self that often, some complain that I don’t do it enough.  Sometimes I have things to say, sometimes I don’t.

So, I’ve recently agreed to, along with Kristen Daukas and Nick Badgio, thus far, to participate in this thing called NaBloPoMo which is some fangdangled way to say National Blog Posting Month.  The idea behind this insanity is that bloggers post every day for the month of November.

A-Blog-Post-A-Day-For-A-Month. Sheesh, the things I get myself into.

Eugene sometimes says that I get too into lists, like the Rolling Stone Top 500 (see my many posts about that lunacy); that’s a commitment. Then I get the honeymoon stories, which I have gotten good reviews for, and will continue to do those. So, the trick will be to do what I need to do in bulk. Kind of get ahead, if you will and keep them in the pipeline. Maybe, something in my life will be interesting enough to create a post here and there.

So, you, dear reader, will be either the beneficiary or the target of turmoil for my month-long ramblings. Of course, I could just let everyone down and “not find the time” or just forget. So, today, November 1 is nombre de jour (day #1) and let the madness begin!

That was 1826 days ago. I have thought about giving up the “daily” aspect of it. I think somewhere along the line I wrote about that dilemma. But, I can’t stand the thought of not having a post. My writing would go all the poop. It’s hard to fill each day. It’s hard to keep up the pace that I do. Some days it doesn’t happen. I’ll be honest. I go and backfill the spaces sometimes. I’ve gotten much busier so I’ve had less time to write but somehow, I pull through.

I’ve written a lot about music – things and albums that were celebrating some kind of anniversary or that I find interesting. I’ve written about lists. I’ve written about movies. I’ve written about food. I’ve written a lot about the podcasts that I do. I’ve written about my family. I’ve written a good bit about my son. I’ve written a great bit about my wife. I’ve written mostly about me. Or have I?

Again, this was never meant to be taken as 100% gospel or to denote that I knew what I was talking about or was even telling what really happened. I set out to do this blog written from a character’s perspective and in many ways I have done that. However, I feel I let that line blur a bit and it’s more real-life than character-driven and I don’t know how I feel about that. I want to be honest or at least be convincing. Sometimes those don’t go hand-in-hand. I want to try and bring the character back out a bit. That’s why I sign everything on here as “Scorp” and not Tim. I never try to actually hide that I’m Tim, nor that The BCPF is Stephanie or 3B is Trey. I just enjoy the code names. But, it started as an outlet for me to be creative and not necessarily straight-shooting.

Kristen told me once when I struggled to describe my blog, that it was a “lifestyle” blog. I can see that. I talk about randomness but cohesively sorted topics sometimes. But, it’s about all the things I mentioned earlier and it’s not just a music blog, a food blog (I have The Man Who Ate the Town for that), a self-help blog (Beer Dads), alcohol blog (Sipping NC then and maybe its return is imminent). It’s my life. It’s my lifestyle. So, in that, it is a lifestyle blog.

To you, Dear Reader, thank you for reading and putting up with this mess every day for the past 1,826 days. I mean, if I didn’t have comments/”likes”/follows on my blog, what would be the point of me doing it? Just to read myself talking? I appreciate your time. Here’s to the next 5 years.

Heck, I don’t even know if National Blog Posting Month is still a thing. I went back and looked at the Twitter account for BlogHer and it hasn’t moved since 2016. The website for it has events but doesn’t mention NaBloPoMo. So, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter because I don’t do it for them. I do it for me.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp (Tim) out!

—
““A writer — and, I believe, generally all persons — must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource.” – Jorge Luis Borges, Twenty Conversations with Borges, Including a Selection of Poems : Interviews by Roberto Alifano, 1981–1983

Hotter Than Hell Again or: Still a Great One

22 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by in KISS, Movie Review

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Salutations™!!

Today is the 45th anniversary of one of my favorite KISS albums, Hotter Than Hell. I liked my writeup from last year and I’m reposting it.

… It is one of my faves, for sure. It was one of the first albums I ever got in the 70s and it was one of two KISS CDs that I purchased when I bought my first CD player in Orlando, FL on December 27, 1989. I got the player at Wal-Mart (the first time I ever went to one) and purchased the Bad English CD from the band of the same name and when we were eating dinner, I went to Peaches Records and Tapes and bought this and Music from ‘The Elder.’ I just felt like I needed to. That was when CDs were still $24ish at Peaches. But, enough about me…

Cover_hth_large

@Casablanca Records

 

In February of 1974 young group of New Yorkers had donned greasepaint and put out their first album called KISS. Casablanca Records had put “Kissin’ Time” which had been a hit for Bobby Rydell on the album because Neil Bogart thought it was catchy and they needed a boost for the album. It wasn’t on the original version but subsequent copies had it. They did some novelty things like KISSing contests and the like. KISS was gaining speed as a live act, but that was on a somewhat smaller scale as it was only the people who went to see the band that knew about them. The album itself had a little momentum but then went nowhere.

Well, if at first you don’t succeed… do it again. So, here they were in August and disappointed with sales of the first record. Bogart shipped them to Los Angeles to record with Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise who both had just moved to LA. None of the band liked it out there (at first). Equipment theft, eccentric people, the list goes on for reasons, just didn’t sit well with the tougher New Yorkers.

Recording went okay, but any KISS fan can tell you it sounds like they recorded it in a bathroom. It’s more reverb-heavy or echoey and the sonic presence is somewhat thinner. That, despite the lyrical content being a little darker and the music heavier than on the first album. The producers can just blame it on their frazzled state after moving to Cali. Now, I’m sure, this being the 70s and such, that there were probably drugs involved, too. Despite that, as a kid, I never knew there was a difference. I just heard the songs. The songs spoke to me.

Ace and Peter were still in it at this time. I mean, they were in it. They were still hungry. Ace wrote two of the songs and co-wrote another with Paul. He still wasn’t in a position to sing as his confidence level in that area was quite low. But, the songs that he wrote were powerful. One becoming a concert staple and making it onto Alive! just a year later. More about that in a minute.

The album, at first, went nowhere. The distribution deal that Casablanca had with Warner Bros. Records had expired. So, they had practically no heat behind it. It undersold the first album and that’s saying something. It did eventually reach gold a few years later but that was because the surprise popularity of Alive! boosted the public interest of the previous studio albums. The low sales/high potential led to the very quick recording of Dressed to Kill only three months later.

Musically, however, this album is chock-full of goodness. The album starts off with “Got to Choose” a tune written and sung by Paul. It’s about a guy who hears his girl is going to leave him or at least going to be double-dippin’ and he’s telling her it’s “him or me,” make up your mind. This song was the first KISS song that Heavens Sake ever performed live. The first of very many. There’s even a recording of it on our 1998ish WV EP that was never released as the sound quality was worse than this album, but we enjoyed it. We realized after we had already come back home that we had totally left off one of the harmonies in the verses. Oh well. It was still fun. And, so, I’d say if you asked Dave and Bobby about this song, we’d all three have the same fond memories of doing it in the HS. This tune was track #3 on Alive!

“Parasite” was another that made it to Alive! and was written by Ace. It’s heavy and is pretty much a song about a leecher or a woman holding on and it seems the guy can’t shake her loose. Ace played bass on this album but left the vocal duties to Gene. I have performed this one a good bit live. It’s fun.

The odd-ball song on this album, which is not to say it’s not one of my faves, is “Goin’ Blind.” It was co-written by Stephen Coronel and Gene when they were both in Wicked Lester. It’s subject matter, which you’d never get away with in today’s musical and political climate, is about a relationship (or wanted relationship) between a 93-year old man and an underaged girl. Gene did a couple of these over the years. I didn’t appreciate it when I was a kid but I love the song now, subject matter notwithstanding.

The title track is one of my faves, for sure. It also was the subject of a lot of misheard or misunderstood lyrics when I was a kid. I didn’t get the whole premise other than this girl was hotter than hell. I don’t really know what I thought he was saying. But, hey! There’s a gong in it! Great, marvelous, okay move on.

The album’s only single is my least favorite song on the album. It has always been just “okay” with me. It’s called “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll.” I think because it’s the boogie-woogie style tempo and feel of the song. I don’t usually care for those type of songs. With that, I don’t have a lot to say about it, other than why was that the single?

“All the Way” is actually kind of a fun, punchy, and happy sounding song, even if it’s just about a guy being driven to the edge of crazy because of his girlfriend.

My absolute favorite song on the album is “Watchin’ You.” It’s a pretty tough riff to pull off and it’s one of the few KISS songs that has a weird time signature (at least in the interludes between chorus and verses). It’s heavy as heck and was an inspiration to my lyrical content for the Heavens Sake song “Cannibal.” In fact, the first line is “I’m watchin’ you…”

Peter gets to sing the next one. It’s called “Mainline.” It was written by Paul and is about a heavy want of this girl. I never really cared for it as a kid but I like it now. It’s 60s or 50s style rock with a harder 70s edge.

“Comin’ Home” was co-written by Paul and Ace, one of the few with that co-billing. I listened to it but never paid attention to it until KISS did it for their Unplugged album. Then, of course, Heavens Sake did it for a bit. Come to think of it, every song on this album got some HS love.

Another one of my faves on the album closes it out. Written by Ace but sung by Peter, “Strange Ways” is just mean and heavy. It is also one of my favorite KISS songs that Heavens Sake covered live. Bobby sang it because he sounded like Peter and was the drummer. Makes sense, yeah? A great solo by Ace on this one, too.

I remember looking at the album cover and think that Gene had some ironed, flipped hairdo and that Paul looked like he had his hand down Peter’s pants. I also couldn’t figure out all the Japanese things. And, what in the wide world of sports was with the green fingernails? The back cover, however, turned me on and confused me. Peter was sitting in a throne (which would probably be more Gene-like) with a naked woman (with stars over her nipples). Ace was sitting, virtually, on nothing in a big aluminum bag. Gene looked like something from “Planet of the Apes” breathing fire but the fire didn’t look real. And, Paul was either making out with a mannequin or doing his best impression of Captain Kirk because his picture partner looked like she was blue.

None of that (other than Peter) was actually what was going on, it just what it looked like to my 8-year old self. I loved, however, the amalgamation mask of the members, adding elements of them all to one face.

It turns out that there had been a party thrown and, other than Gene, all of the band were either drunk or high. So, probably, other than Gene, none of them really have any recollection of what happened during that shoot.

I would put this in my top 10 of KISS albums, possibly even top 5. It’s a great album, even with the shoddy production. Five of the ten songs made it to Alive! and some are still concert staples. It’s a great album and should be heard. If you are confused about what I’ve written, just listen to it and you’ll get it. Imagine an 8-year old kid just learning about rock and roll music in a house full of country and gospel. I was in heaven. Thanks, Paul, Gene, Ace, and Peter.

Until tomorrow, keep KISSing!
Scorp out!

—
“You’ve got a lot to say every night and every sunny day. It’s the same thing you’ve been sayin’ to me every day. You say it’s within your heart. You keep repeating that we’ll never part. I’m so finally glad to hear you stop for a day. You just keep talking louder, complain to your mother and father. One of these days, you’ll push me all the way.” – “All the Way” (Simmons)

A Dollar Short or: Terrifier

13 Tuesday Aug 2019

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Salutations™!!

To be perfectly transparent, I am writing this on Wednesday and not Tuesday as my son, 3B had me watch a creepy, campy and somewhat funny (read: eye-rolling) “horror” film called Terrifier.

It involves a clown who makes crazy-creepy faces and beheads, mames, mauls and destroys people that get in his way. It’s really kind of dumb but it was kind of fun as I’ve not watched a horror film in a while. Is it worth your time? I don’t know. I don’t know if it was worth mine. But, I did it.

So, take that with a grain of salt. Sorry about the delay.

Until tomorrow (or today)…
Scorp out!

—
“Punctuality is the thief of time, dear.” – Cat Lady

A Rarity Now or: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

24 Thursday Jan 2019

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Salutations™!!

Last night I was trying to get everything done so I will admit that my post was a bit on the short side. But, I forgot to mention that the film I was watching was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). It stars Maggie Smith, her real-life husband Robert Stephens, Pamela Franklin and others. I would say that this movie would never get made today. It couldn’t and I’m surprised it was then.

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©Twentieth Century Fox

Maggie Smith is young in this. It was 50 years ago, right? That means she was around 35 or so. But, she sounds exactly the same as Professor McGonagall does now. She plays the titular character who is a headstrong young teacher in a private school in 1930s Edinburgh (that) ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable 12-year-old charges with her over-romanticized world view. (per IMDb). She bypasses teaching the kids and instead instills in them her love of art, literature and it seems sexuality.

She’s in an affair with not only a married man, Teddy Lloyd (Stephens), but a choir teacher (Gordon Jackson) and it alludes that there are probably a few more that she’s “rolling in the hay” with. Her students are blinded by her romantic worldviews and some fall for it, including some that run off to fight in wars because she says they should, posing for the married man (who happens to be an artist) and others.

The part that really struck me was when Sandy (Franklin), a late teen and former student of Miss Brodie’s gets romantically involved with the married painter. That and the overt talk about “sexual intercourse.”

There’s a little more to it but there was some nudity (the film was rated M for Mature, but IMDb has it as PG). But it was just odd that the film was the way it was. I could be wrong as Lolita has been made and remade several times, but the whole teacher/student thing just usually doesn’t fly. I don’t have a problem with it, but I can see where it would definitely take some people to extreme nervousness.

Have you seen it? What did you think of it? I think overall it was a good movie, I just am surprised at it.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“There’s no contradiction in being both ridiculous and magnificent.” – Teddy Lloyd

Livin’ Dangerously or: Fargin’ Bastiches

14 Wednesday Nov 2018

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Salutations™!!

Per usual, on a Wednesday night, as I do social media stuff for The Less Desirables, I watch either a crappy sci-fi/fantasy film from the 70s/80s or something nostalgic for me. It was the latter for me, tonight.

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©Twentieth Century Fox

It was 1984’s Johnny Dangerously starring Michael Keaton, Joe Piscopo, Griffin Dunne, Marilu Henner and Maureen Stapleton.

I remember watching it any and every time I could find it on HBO when I was growing up. There were many one-liners that I loved as a kid. And, for whatever reason, I never got the over-the-top absurdity of it all. I got that he was trying to appeal to the best side of the kid, but I never got how incredibly implausible it was. I mean, snow in July, the $49.95 for pancreas surgery, and so on.

There are a lot of coincidences, too. Danny DeVito and Marilu Henner were both in Taxi. Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton were both in Batman Returns a few years later. Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo were in Wise Guys in 1986. When Johnny was talking about going “legit,” he said one of the benefits of doing so was that he could “say hi to his neighbor, Fred.” That neighbor was a reference to Fred Rogers, whom Keaton worked for as a stagehand in Pittsburgh. There are more things, too.

I loved the over exaggeration of the English language by Italian mob boss, Roman Moroni. Farggin’ Ice-holes. Having “your bells in a sling.” Bastiches. Cork-Soakers. You can figure out what each of those really is.

All the “you shouldn’t have done that, Johnny. My mother did that once… once,” lines. The fact that “Weird Al” Yankovic did the theme song (and it’s one of my favorite “Weird Al” tunes). The fact that Alan Hale, Jr. is the desk sergeant. The fact that Ray Walston is the newspaper vendor that goes from blind to deaf to an amnesiac. All those things make me love this movie more. There are little nuances all throughout and really, over half I never noticed until tonight. I don’t know how.

Rotten Tomatoes didn’t like it. They have it as only 44% Rotten. But the audience score was 63%. So, I guess pftpftpftpft (raspberry sound) to the critics for that one. Yeah, it wasn’t that good, but it was fun.

If you find it and get a chance to watch it, you need to. It may not be your cup of tea and you may think it’s stupid, but that’s okay. I like silly and stupid. It all works for me. So, that’s my love of this film, too. Yay, me!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Dominus vobiscum, Nabisco. Espiritu sanctu. They gasthebus. We gasthebus. You gasthebus. We missed the bus. They missed the bus. When’s the next bus? Summa cum laude. Magna cum laude. The radio’s too laude. Adeste fidelis. Semper fidelis. High fidelis. Post Meridian. Ante Meridian. Uncle Meridian. All the little Meridians. The Magna Carta. MasterCharge it. Dum procellas. Lotsa Vitalis.” – Charlie

The Next One or: Not So Bad

10 Wednesday Oct 2018

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Salutations™!!

So, whilst doing the social media for The Less Desirables, and on the recommendation of Superfan Damien, I decided to watch Heavy Metal 2000. He was right to a point, The storyline is more linear and makes a little more sense, but it’s really just one story and not pieces. It’s not about the Loc Nar as the first one was. I mean, the Loc Nar is insinuated but, it’s not the focus.

Heavy_Metal_2000_poster

© CinéGroupe, Artisan Filmworks and The Montecito Picture Company

Another thing that’s missing is the cool soundtrack. Yeah, there are songs and yeah, they’re more actual “metal,” but it’s just not got the same feel. Instead of Cheap Trick, Journey, Grand Funk, BOC, Black Sabbath, Sammy Hagar, Devo and Stevie Nicks, we get less memorable songs from Pantera, System of a Down, Voivod, Monster Magnet, Bauhaus, Queens of the Stone Age and Billy Idol, who actually lends his voice to Odin, the guardian of the ancient fountain that gives the bad guy his powers and such. The fountain guardians aren’t the bad guys, by the way. But, is Odin one of them, really? Hmmm… I’m not getting into the plot and all that. The saddest part, though, is that Percy Rodrigues isn’t voiced in this film (he was alive then, couldn’t he have done something?).

The whole thing is kind of disjointed and like I said makes a little more sense, it just isn’t any better. It also is not and was never the cult classic the first one was. The movie rating site, Rotten Tomatoes rates the first one at 61% Fresh (67% Audience Score). This one, however, is a dismal 10% Rotten (36% Audience). Yeah, the more I think about it, it really did suck, pretty much.

The main female character, Julie, is actually modeled after, drawn in the likeness of and voiced by softcore porn actress and 1993 Penthouse Pet of the Year, Julie Strain. Michael Ironside plays the main villain, Tyler.

It’s really a crappy film, but it’s somewhat entertaining when you have to have something going on while you’re doing social media, you know?  Yeah… I guess so.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“What does it take to get laid around here?” – Tyler

Falling In or: What Kind of Name is That?

04 Thursday Oct 2018

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Salutations™!!

So, 3B got me to watch a movie that I wasn’t wanting to ever watch. He got me to watch the first Hunger Games movie. I made fun of it because Jennifer Lawrence’s character is named Katniss and others in the movie also have silly names.

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©Lionsgate

We watched and I have to admit, I found it interesting. I guess we’ll have to watch the others in the next few weeks, but we will have to do it earlier or pause in the middle because our dinner was late! I mean we didn’t eat until almost 10pm. That’s way too late. It’s not good for you and you feel nasty, at least I do. Luckily, it was light.

Yeah, I fell in. I didn’t want to. I wanted to hate it. I didn’t. It’s actually pretty interesting, even if there are holes in the whole premise. Perhaps if I read the books I’d get it more. I can hear you laughing, Dear Reader, because I’m laughing at myself with you. I don’t read, so that isn’t going to happen. Oh well.

Dinner was good, even though it was late. We had to make our own harissa sauce because Publix didn’t have any. It was good. I dug it. We had a “rose harissa salmon.” Being as we made our own it wasn’t “rose” harissa at all. But, my boy did well with it, just way too late. I gotta go wash dishes, now.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“May the odds be ever in your favor.” – Katniss Everdeen (and just about everyone else in the film)

Loc Nar, Eh? or: Heavy Metal

03 Wednesday Oct 2018

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Salutations™!!

Tonight’s cheezoid film whilst working is actually something I knew of and saw when I was a kid, Heavy Metal (1981). It’s an animated film based on the sci-fi/fantasy magazine of the same name. I used to look at the mag because there was nudity, albeit cartoon nudity but I’ll admit that even beyond that aspect, it was too mature for me. I had no clue what it was about. I didn’t get the stories.

Heavy_Metal_(1981)

©Columbia

I’ll be honest, whilst watching this, I understood what was going on but didn’t get the point. I mean, what does it mean? Now, that being said, I don’t feel it’s really cheesy, I just don’t “get” it. It has some fantastic animation, as did the mag in its art. And, another awesome thing about his film is its soundtrack, which I thought I had on vinyl, but it appears that I don’t.

Cheap Trick, Journey, Devo, Grand Funk Railroad, Don Felder, Donald Fagen, Nazareth, Stevie Nicks, and Blue Oyster Cult are just some of the artists featured on the soundtrack. Some of the voices are by John Candy, Eugene Levy, Don Francks, Rodger Bumpass, Harold Ramis and the amazing Percy Rodriguez (who passed away in 2007 but you’d definitely know his voice). It was produced by Ivan Reitman.

All in all, it’s not a bad film, really, I just don’t get the point, but then again, I’m not finished with it. We’ll see how it ends. Like I said, the animation and soundtrack are both awesome. I’d recommend this just for those two things. Check it out, won’t you?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Earth women who experience sexual ecstasy with mechanical assistance always tend to feel guilty!” – Robot (John Candy, in “So Beautiful and So Dangerous”)

Prepare the Probe Ship or: Disney’s Folly

19 Wednesday Sep 2018

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Salutations™!!

My Wednesday crappy film watch continues this week and it’s from one of my favorite companies, Disney.

The_Black_Hole

©Buena Vista 

In 1979, like everyone else, was wanting to capitalize on the success of Star Wars. Space-based sci-fi/fantasy films were “all the rage” at the time. Heck, even James Bond was made into a space movie just because they wanted to cash in on Lucas’ ingenuity. That doesn’t mean they were all any good. I love Disney. Love them. But, this was a real clunker. It’s called The Black Hole (1979) and stars Maximilian Schell, Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Slim Pickens and Roddy McDowall (the last two were just voices).

I don’t know what year it’s supposed to be, but it’s in the future and some space explorers are coming back to Earth but see a massive black hole with a ship dangling out near it but not getting sucked in. They investigate and some mad dude killed his entire crew and is wanting to go into the hole. The other crew buy into some of it and not all of it. Blah blah blah. I really don’t know what the full gist of it all is but it’s really sucky. Somehow they end up in hell or something, It makes little sense.

Other than trying to capitalize on the fad, I don’t know why Disney put their money into this. The storyline is decent, but not very plausible. For 1979 the special effects were pretty good, but then again, it was Disney Dollars going into it. The storyline really does make sense I just don’t know what to say about it. It’s an okay flick, I guess. You’d think that with a cast like this it would have been better, but I believe it was thrown together in haste.

I remember seeing it in my Junior High gymnasium in 7th or 8th grade. I was probably more interested in hanging out with some girl or my friends than watching this film. I’m not even going to look up the Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb scores. Just watch it, or don’t. That would probably be the better advice on it. Okay, I’m out. Sorry if this was disjointed, I was busy today!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“The word ‘impossible’, Mr. Booth, is only found in the dictionary of fools.” – Dr. Hans Reinhardt

 

Crazy Licks or: Many Kisses (Part 3)

18 Tuesday Sep 2018

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Salutations™!!

Here’s the second post today! And yes, this is verbose as was the last.

The month of September is a huge month for KISS fans, even if they don’t know it. Why you may ask? Because the month of September is the anniversary month for the releases of TEN KISS albums. I’ve talked about Alive!, Animalize and Asylum. But, like I said in the last post, September 18 is a doozie and talked about the four solo albums that were released 40 years ago, today.

Lick_it_up_cover

©Mercury Records

In 1983, Lick It Up was released on this day and also that night Gene, Paul, Eric and Vinnie Vincent showed up on MTV and showed their faces publicly, at least as KISS, without the makeup. It was a weird transition for them, even if they say it wasn’t. Look at that interview and tell me that Gene doesn’t look uncomfortable as he says through his big white grill that it feels good… Uh huh. I think Vinnie looks uncomfortable all the time. Paul seemed the most natural. Eric was just there. Then look at the video for “Lick It Up” and tell me they look comfortable. Gene can’t figure out how to act. His professional career had always been under some kind of disguise. He’s not the most handsome man, truthfully, but really, were any of them? Nah.

Lick It Up, though, was a big breakthrough for the band. It was their chance to bring the people back into the KISS Army coming off the heels of Creatures of the Night, which saw the departure of Ace, even though he was on the cover, he played nary a note on the album. Several guitarists played in his stead on that album and one of those was Vinnie Vincent. Creatures was the rebirth KISS was looking for. It wasn’t quite KISS, but a harder rock version of KISS. I think Creatures is one of their heaviest albums in the entire KISS Katalog. But, they did that under the hidden comfort of their makeup-laden personas.

Truly, the band incognito had run its course. It was time for a new approach. Gene said in his book Kiss and Make-Up that Paul had talked him into unmasking. He was still apprehensive but Paul explained that the makeup had become a stigma and more people knew the characters than they did the musicians and the music, whether people want to admit it or not, was judged more on the makeup than on the merits of the music and songs. I was only 12 when this came out and I was aware of that fact. And, I’m ALL about the show. So, what to do? New direction with the music on the album before, let’s try a new direction in image, as well. I think it worked.

This album was pretty heavy and at times, mean. From the harmonics-driven intro of “Exciter” on to the fade of “And on the Eighth Day,” the album was a non-stop auditory assault. Paul also showed a whole new vocal style starting with this album. He started singing a little different on Creatures but from Lick It Up on, he sang higher, as did Gene, with more power and with more confidence. In fact, I think this album has Paul’s most powerful tone and timbre.

Gene really changed up his singing from just gruff to high and gruff. I can’t sing most of his non-makeup songs and I sing pretty high. The band also started aiming for the “metal” crowd instead of the “kids and rock-n-rollers.” Eric’s drumming was more volatile as well. He pounded the crap out of the drums. I found I was at the same time longing for and also glad they dismissed the drum sound employed on Creatures. It was an awesome sound but it was also overpowering.

Much of what made this album heavier was Vinnie’s playing. He was all about flash and speed and less about feel. But, I think that bled over onto Paul’s style, as well. Paul’s parts were heavier than the KISS we knew. There were no ballads or slower songs on this album. Speaking of songwriting, this marked the first time that there were no outside writers on a KISS album.  People have a hard time believing that, but from the first album (which had a cover – and yes I know the original didn’t have that cover), the second and third rehashed Wicked Lester songs, and so on. Plus, people forget that Vinnie was “in the band” at one time.

This is one of my favorite KISS albums, although it didn’t start that way. I never really noticed it being a “different KISS” until much later. KISS was KISS was KISS to me. I get it now, but I was blinded at the time. As tired of the title track I am, I still love it. We used to do it in Busted Uncle. It was fun. The only song I really don’t care for is “Gimme More” and even that is a pretty good song. The one that all my friends hate is one of my favorites on this album, “Dance All Over Your Face.” I don’t know why but I just dig the heck out of it.

This was the first album that I got on cassette and not on vinyl. So, the copy I have now (180g brand new) is the first time I’ve ever had it on vinyl.

Crazy_nights_album_cover

©Mercury Records

Now, 31 years ago today KISS released Crazy Nights. It is perhaps the most polarizing of the 80s-era KISS albums. I know a lot of critics, fans and even my friends have labeled it as poppy sugary drivel but I am not one of those. Yes, it is poppier. It’s not quite “hair band” material, but not far from it. Their heavy sound had softened a bit, even though they were on their second album with one of their best guitarists, Bruce Kulick who showed up on the tour for Animalize and played on Asylum. I don’t mind sugary pop, though, as you have read me talking about often, Dear Reader.

I believe part of the deal with the overall tone was that Paul and Gene gave up production duties and just recorded music. But, they were also using outside writers and not the likes of ex-Plasmatics members but with genuine pop music writing heavyweights, Adam Mitchell, Desmond Child, Bruce Turgon, Davitt Sigerson and legend Dianne Warren. On top of that it was produced by Ron Nevison who took over duties from David Foster on Chicago albums, Heart’s Heart and Bad Animals, Europe, Damn Yankees, Survivor and my favorite Ozzy Osbourne album, The Ultimate Sin. What absolutely didn’t help was the incorporation of keyboards (played by Phil Ashley).

I remember buying this album on cassette at Peaches. I knew it was coming out but hadn’t heard anything from it. I put it in the car stereo (in my ’74 Chevelle Malibu Classic’s Craig audio system) and waited. It seemed the leader tape was a bit long, so I turned it up thinking it was low. The opening notes of “whew!” for “Crazy Crazy Nights” scared the bejeezus out of me and I nearly wrecked my car. I loved it, though. That followed by “I’ll Fight Hell to Hold You” and “Bang Bang You,” gave Paul a good three-song start. Nice and poppy.

Then Bruce got to do his thing. He schools us on tapping techniques flawlessly and  Eric joins in with a little double-bass flash. This is “No No No” from Gene. The whole thing is a little hard to follow on the beat because it’s about being fast, I think. The only song that I don’t care for is “My Way” which I think single-handedly shows off the overly-poppy nature that many people see the entire album for. Also, as with Lick It Up, one of my faves on there is the one my friends say they dislike the most on the album, which is “Thief in the Night.” It was covered by Wendy O. Williams (also of Plasmatics fame) on an album that Gene produced which could have actually have been a KISS album.

Is this their best album 80s-era or otherwise? No. It is, however, the 80s-era KISS album that I listened to the most. It was the last original studio album that I actually had a love for and enjoyed without bias. The next album, Hot in the Shade, had plenty of letdowns for me. I don’t mean that I don’t love post-Crazy Nights albums, but up to this point, they could do no wrong. I realized on HITS that they could. Between the two came Smashes, Thrashes & Hits, a greatest hits album. I liked it.

This album also had a lot of unreleased things make it to other artists and box sets and such. The original title of the album was Who Dares Wins. I’m glad they changed that.

What are your thoughts on these two albums, Dear Reader? Are they up your alley or not? If you’re not familiar, why not give them a shot? Let me know what you think.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Baby, now that you’ve made up your mind, I’m gonna let you go, if that’s what it takes to show love is blind. I gave you the best love you ever had, but it wasn’t enough. So, if you think you’re so smart, go and play with your heart. When you walk out the door, you’ll realize what you never did before. A million to one – that’s what it will be. A million to one – there’s someone better than me. A million to one – no, you never will find. A million to one – another love like mine.” – “A Million to One” (Stanley/Vincent)